


Back in Time

by ConsultingTimelordWizard



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-13
Updated: 2015-06-14
Packaged: 2018-03-17 16:49:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 15,897
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3536846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ConsultingTimelordWizard/pseuds/ConsultingTimelordWizard
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Whilst in a healing coma, the Doctor is whisked back to when he first met a certain pink-and-yellow human. Can he change history...or is this just a dream? </p>
<p>A/N: After many fics where Rose goes back to the beginning, here is one where the Doctor goes back.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> So I originally thought I would just keep this fic on Fanfiction.net...turns out I decided otherwise. Currently working on chapter seven at the time of posting, so enjoy six chapters updated on one day!
> 
> Also note that the first two chapters were written in 2013, and chapter three on from February 2015 onward. Don't mind any stylistic changes, I'll get around to editing the first two chapters at a later point in time.
> 
> Originally located at: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9110176/1/Back-in-Time

"Martha! Quickly!" The Doctor ran as fast as his long legs could carry him, his coat flying behind him as he did so. His companion, Martha Jones, ran as well, panting heavily as she did so. He really did need to slow down.  
"I'm trying! You need to slow down, you know!"

 

A blasting sound echoed behind them, followed by an explosion as three lizard creatures chased after the duo, shouting orders for their execution. Martha winced and picked up the pace. "On second thought, maybe not…"

 

The Doctor grabbed her hand and dragged her along, ignoring the pain coming from his abdomen. He needed to get to the TARDIS, and fast. No use of going into a healing coma while he was about to be killed, and he doubted Martha could drag him the rest of the way. He was heavier then he looked.

 

-DW-

 

"You cannot be on this planet," the lizard creature hissed, staring at the newly arrived Time Lord and human. The Doctor stuck his hands into his pockets and walked up to the creature.

 

"And why not? We're tourists, my friend and I. Could bring publicity to this place, it's rather barren."

 

"We do not need publicity. Or tourists."

 

"Ah, shame, innit Martha? Traveled all this way—"

 

“Enough babbling!" the creature shouted, and Martha put a hand on the Doctor's shoulder.

 

"C'mon, let's just get outa here…"

 

"Leaving so soon? I promised you the galaxy's largest waterfall, and I won't just—"

 

"Listen to the girl," the lizard said. The Doctor raised his eyebrows.

 

"Well if I must…we don't need any stinking waterfall anyway, and you, sir, are rude. Ruder than me, and that's saying something…"

 

The lizards that surrounded them hissed in distaste, and Martha looked around them. They looked angry. "Doctor…"

 

"DOCTOR?!" the lizard shouted. "You destroyed our planet! You are the reason we reside on this rock! And you disrespect me?!"

 

The Doctor backed toward Martha. "Martha, let's—"

 

"You disrespect the king!" a lizard screamed, and the Doctor and Martha met gazes.

 

"Run?"

 

"Sounds about right, yeah."

 

They ran, but not before a pain shot through the Doctor's middle. He hissed and clutched it, Martha's eyes widening.

 

"They shot you!"

 

"Really? Hadn't noticed." He pushed her ahead of him and ran. "It won't affect me, their lasers are full of poison, poison I'm immune to. Don't worry, I'll be fine. Now run!"

 

-DW-

 

Now the Doctor and Martha collapsed in the TARDIS, and the Doctor set them to appear in the Time Vortex. "There we go, good as new!"

 

"You were still shot!" Martha grabbed his arm. "C'mon, let's get you to the Med Bay…"

 

"Nah, I'm fine…" That was a lie. The room was spinning. Not good. "Just need to sit down…Martha?"

 

"Yeah?"

 

"I'm not fine—"

 

"I knew that. I'm a doctor, remember?" She led him to the Med Bay and laid him down, looking for something to check his condition. "Where is it…I can't read half this stuff, just a bunch of circles."

 

"Yeah, I know. I'm going into a healing coma…I can feel it." At her confused expression, he explained. "I'm going to be out for however long it takes to get this stuff out of my system. It isn't lethal—least I hope not—"

 

"What?!"

 

"Calm down!"

 

“You said it wouldn't kill ya!"

 

"YES, well I won't. Hope not, I like this body thank you very much. Don't worry about me, I'll be good as new soon. Tea helped last time…steam from tea. Should work quicker." The world was spinning rapidly, and the Doctor closed his eyes. "If you need anything, ask the TARDIS."

 

Martha nodded and bit her lip. "I'll take care of ya, don't worry."

 

"Good. Brilliant. Thank you…" He slipped into the coma, and Martha sighed, pulling off her jacket and heading for the kitchen. Better start on that tea.

 

-DW-

 

The Doctor sat up in a hallway, groaning. What had happened? Why wasn't he in the Med Bay with Martha? Not good…he stood up quickly, gathering his surroundings. The hall seemed familiar…but how? He's sure this hall didn't exist in his ship…then he jumped. Leather jacket. Jumper. Boots.

 

"What?" Northern accent. What…what?!

 

He didn't have time to dwell on what was happening, however, as there was a rattling at the door across from him, followed by a clatter of objects falling. The Doctor ran toward the door and looked inside…then froze. Shop window dummies. Living shop window dummies. And beside him was a sight for sore eyes. A nineteen-year-old blonde was against the wall, cringing as a dummy raised its arm, going for the final blow. Remembering this moment, he reached and grabbed her hand. Her eyes flew open, and brown eyes met ice blue ones. He grinned a manic grin and said the word that started it all:

 

"Run!"


	2. Rose (Part One)

"Run!"

 

The Doctor was on fire. He was ecstatic about this new opportunity, one where he got to see the companion that he cared so deeply for, in this universe where she belonged. Rose Tyler was dragged behind him, eyes wide in fear and confusion, and the two ran into a lift. He slammed his hand into the button, and the doors began to close as the lead Auton stuck his arm through the crack. Rose shrieked, and the Doctor grabbed it, tugging at it until it popped off, the doors closing. The Doctor crossed his arms, staring back at a horrified Rose.

 

"You pulled his arm off!" she exclaimed, and he nodded. State the obvious.

 

"Yep. Plastic." He waved the arm, tossed the arm to her, then stared ahead. No showing that he knew her already, not unless he wished to scare her off. Time could be rewritten, and this was one point in time he'd rather not rewrite.

 

"Very clever," she finally managed. "Nice trick! Who were they then, students? Is this a student thing or what?"

 

"Why would they be students?"

 

"I dunno."

 

"Well you said it! Why students?" the Doctor stared back at her intently, watching her struggle to put her thought process in words.  
"'Cos…to get that many people dressed up and being silly, they got to be students."

 

He nodded. "That makes sense, well done."

 

Rose looked proud of herself. "Thanks."

 

“They're not students." The Doctor stopped smiling and frowned. It was like two minds were battling for superiority in his mind: the one that belonged in this body, and the one that was put into it from the future. One moment his current self was talking, the next his past self managed to get a word in.

 

"Whoever they are," Rose continued, not noticing his internal battle. "when Wilson finds them, he's going to call the police."

 

"Who's Wilson?"

 

"Chief electrician."

 

"Wilson's dead." Damn. No wonder Rose said no the first time. He was rude in every body it seemed. They stepped out of the lift and walked behind Hendrik's, Rose scowling at him and the news she had just received. "That's not funny! That's sick!"

 

"Hold on, mind your eyes." He sonicked the lift button, and sparks flew as it was disabled. He walked on, Rose following like a lost puppy.  
"Who are you, then? Who's that lot down there? I said, who are you?"

 

"You ask a lota questions, don't you?" the Doctor said, looking back at her. He had never really noticed before. She frowned, and he sighed. "They're made of plastic. Living plastic creatures. They're being controlled by a relay device in the roof, which would be a great big problem if I didn't have this." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a bomb. Rose's eyes widened at it. "So, I'm gonna go up there an' blow 'em up, and I might well die in the process, but don't worry about me. No, you go home, have your lovely beans on toast." He pushed her toward the streets, and a memory struck him. Better keep her interested, then. "Don't tell anyone about this, because if you do, you'll get them killed."

 

He shut the door on a gaping Rose, walking up to the roof. This whole thing, this whole experience was a bunch of déjà vu. All the memories came flooding back, hence the reason he remembered the bomb, and what to say, what to do. Maybe he could change things…but for now, it was best not. The Doctor stopped in his tracks and turned around, poking his head out the door. Rose was still standing there in shock, and he grinned. "I'm the Doctor, by the way. What's your name?"

 

"Rose…" she said, staring at him. The Doctor waved the bomb at her, subtly reminding her why she would run.

 

"Nice to meet you, Rose. Run for your life!" He closed the door and heard her footsteps fade away. Perfect, she was safe. Now to blow up living plastic…and her job.

 

-DW-

 

The plastic was still alive. He knew that much, and was still dumb enough to hand said living plastic to Rose. The Doctor growled and hit himself in the head, running around the TARDIS console and punching in coordinates. "Powell Estates…we'll spend a lota time there, ol' girl," he said out loud to his ship, who hummed in response. Images flashed in his mind, and the Doctor sighed, looking up at the ceiling. "I dunno why I'm here. You can read my mind, you know what was going on. Doesn't explain why I was sent back here though."

 

The TARDIS hummed again, and the Doctor shook his head. "I'll explain later. Time to stop a living arm…"

 

The Time Lord exited his ship and went down the familiar path to the flat that Jackie and Rose lived in, immediately dropping to the ground and trying the cap flap. Screwed shut. Damn. He took his sonic out and undid the screws, opening and closing it to make sure it did, in fact, open. Rose's voice drifted through the door.

 

"Mum, you're such a liar! I told you to nail that cat flap down. We're gonna get strays!" Her footsteps drew closer, and the Doctor stayed still.

 

"I did it weeks back!"

 

"No, you thought about it!" The flap opened, and Rose was staring the Doctor in the face. She stood right up and opened the door, seeing the Doctor get up as well, staring at her weirdly.

 

"What are you doing here?" he said at once, trying not to let things get awkward. Maybe not the nicest way to clear the silence, but his ninth self was taking over.

 

"I live here," she said bluntly.

 

"Well what do you do tha' for?"

 

"Because I do! I'm only home because someone blew up my job."

 

She was getting irritated. Time to get out of there. "I must've got the wrong signal. You're not plastic, are you?" He knocked her head, and she glared at him. "No, bonehead. Bye then."

 

Rose grabbed him before he could walk away. "You. Inside. Right now." She dragged the Doctor inside, and he could only follow. Jackie's voice came, and he surprised himself by missing the sound of her slightly annoying (at least to him, she always seemed annoyed) voice. "Who is it?"

 

"It's about last night," Rose lied, walking to her mother's bedroom. "He's part of the inquiry. Give us ten minutes."

 

"She deserves compensation!" Jackie shouted, and the Doctor came into view, nodding.

 

"Oh, we're talking millions."

 

Suddenly, her demeanor changed, and she started…oh. Oh no.

 

"I'm in my dressing gown," she said, acting flirty. The Doctor had to try not to barf.

 

"Yes, you are."

 

"There's a strange man in my bedroom." How did he not remember this?

 

"Yes, there is."

 

"Well…anything could happen."

 

He had to get out of there. Now. "No."

 

Jackie stared at him incredulously as he exited, finding Rose in the kitchen.

 

"Don't mind the mess. D'ya want a coffee?"

 

"Might as well, thanks. Just milk."

 

Rose started babbling, and the Doctor looked around the room, staring in almost awe. He hadn't been here in almost a year, and now here he was, Rose talking to him like she always would, Jackie coating herself in makeup and doing her hair like always (when she wasn't yelling at him for almost getting her daughter killed), and the Doctor just standing there while it all happened. It was nice…then he saw the mirror and frowned. He really looked like that? "Ah, could've been worse…look at the ears! No wonder Rose picked on me…"

 

"Sorry?" Rose asked, stopping mid-babble at the sound of her name. He shook his head.

 

"What?"

 

"Ya said my name."

 

He took a card he was holding earlier. "Rose Tyler. Nice name."

 

She grinned. "Thanks." She went back to talking, and the cat flap rattled. He frowned.

 

"What's that, then? Got a cat?"

 

"No…" came her response before a plastic arm came shooting out at him, holding him in a strangle hold. The Doctor tugged at it, and Rose came in, paying no mind. "I told Mickey to chuck tha' out. You're all the same. Give a man a plastic hand…anyway, I don't even know your name. Doctor, what was it?"

 

The hand flew off his neck and went for the next living thing…Rose's face. Rose screamed as the Doctor tugged at it, the both falling over and breaking the coffee table. He reached into his pocket and grabbed his sonic, getting the arm off and disabling it. He grinned. "It's alright, I've stopped it. You see?" He held it up. "Armless."

 

"You think?" Rose asked, grabbing it and smacking his arm.

 

"Ow!"

 

-DW-

 

He was deeply impressed. Normally, once an event passed, the Doctor stored it away, most often not digging back into those memories again. This whole event was no exception. Sure, he remembered it more then most of the events in his life, but it was stored in a file in his brain, labeled "Rose". He did this with most of his companions. Sarah Jane had her own, as well as Ace, Susan, Barbara, Adric, Peri…all of them. He never thought digging one up would be more helpful then right now though.

 

This whole situation was confusing, though. How in the name of Rassilion did he end up in his past body? That had never happened, not that he could recall at least. While Rose asked questions, the Doctor took his memories and answered accordingly. Best not interfere too much; else she may not want to join him like before. Then again, maybe she would. Still, he didn't want to risk it. Time can be rewritten…and this is one part of time he'd rather not rewrite.

 

"Really, though, Doctor. Tell me, who are you?"

 

The Doctor stopped his walking and stared at her. "Do you know like we were saying about the Earth revolving? It's like when you were a kid. The first time they tell you the world's turning and you just can't quite believe it because everything looks like it's standing still. I can feel it." He took her hand, trying his best to explain while saying 'Look, travel with me! It will be fantastic!' "The turn of the Earth. The ground beneath our feet is spinning at a thousand miles an hour, and the entire planet is hurtling round the sun at sixty seven thousand miles an hour, and I can feel it. We're falling through space, you and me, clinging to the skin of this tiny little world, and if we let go—" He let go of her hand. "That's who I am. Now, forget me, Rose Tyler. Go home."

 

He waved the Auton arm and watched her walk off before walking off himself, entering the TARDIS and dematerializing from the spot. Now he could think…at least, until he had to find Rose and Auton Mickey. The Doctor sighed and closed his eyes, trying to sort out this mess.

 

Maybe a few hours of silence will do him some good.


	3. Rose (Part Two)

Meditation was the one form of relaxation that the Doctor actually decided to use. Unlike the evil that was yoga, meditation actually relaxed his whole body, clearing his mind of everything except what he actually needed to know and helping him focus on said things he needed to know. Currently, the Time Lord in question was sat on his bed (he did have one, thank you very much) with his legs crossed, eyes closed as he thought the events of the day so far through. In a few hours, Earth-time, Rose Tyler would be seated in a restaurant with the Auton Mickey, and he’d go in to save the day, so to speak. He needed a bottle of champagne. He needed to keep Rose with him.

 

He needed to figure out how the hell he got sent back a lifetime in the first place.

 

Through his head he searched, recalling the reptilian creatures that shot him in the first place and what he did exactly to them. From what they said, he had a hand in destroying their planet. If he was being honest with himself, he had a hand in so many ruined planets that it was hard to figure out what exactly he did. Then he remembered, and the Doctor sprang up, searching the poison he had been shot with.

 

_Kavar poison, known to mess with the state of being for certain creatures, often creating the illusion--or, on the rare occasion, actually--that the victim has been sent back to another moment in life or a completely different time period or lifetime. There is no known cure. Effects are said to wear off over a period of a few days to a few months._

 

The Doctor sighed. Time wasn’t relevant for him, but the TARDIS he owned was a fickle being, so actually going into the future to find a cure for this madness was far from advisable. He was currently in his ninth form (or tenth, depending on how it was viewed), and ruining his encounter with Rose was not an option. Once Rose was aboard the TARDIS, however, there would be an even less chance for him to go search. He could look while she visited with Jackie, but…

 

Rassilion, he missed Rose Tyler more than he could let on. Why would he give this opportunity up?

 

Sighing, the Doctor stood and went to the console room. He would figure it out as it went on. Until then, he had an Auton to stop.

 

-DW-

 

“Open the gate! Use that tube thing!” Rose ran from the restaurant, shaking the gate furiously. “Come on!”

 

The Doctor was honestly offended. Tube thing? “Sonic screwdriver.”

 

“Use it!”

 

“Nah,” he said with a shake of his head. “Tell you what, let’s go in here.” He unlocked the TARDIS and went inside, listening to the Auton pound on the door and Rose panic.

 

“You can’t hide inside a wooden box, it’s going to get us! Doctor!” She ran inside, desperate, then stopped. The Doctor smiled a bit. He loved the companion’s reactions to his ship. Rose ran back out, looking at the exterior, before running back inside as the Auton broke through the metal door. “It’s going to follow us!”

 

He snorted. “The assembled hoards of Genghis Khan couldn’t get through that door, and believe me, they’ve tried. Now, shut up a minute.” He walked around his ship, looking at the head he’d taken from the Auton. “You see, the arm was too simple, but the head’s perfect. I can use it to trace the signal back to the original source.” He looked at Rose, who still looked flabberghasted. Cute. “Right. Where do you want to start?”

 

“Er…” She shook her head. “The inside’s bigger than the outside?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“It’s alien.”

 

“Are you alien?”

 

“Yes.” A pause. “Is that alright?”

 

“Yeah.” Rose nodded, eyes wide as she looked around. The Doctor smiled fondly. “It’s called the TARDIS, this thing. T-A-R-D-I-S. That’s Time and Relative Dimension in Space.” His eyes widened as Rose began crying, and he quickly shook his head. No, he didn’t remember her crying. “That’s okay! Culture shock. Happens to the best of us.”

 

“Did they kill him?” Rose asked, shaking her head. “Mickey? Did they kill him? Is he dead?”

 

Oh. “Oh. I didn’t think of that.”

 

“He’s my boyfriend. You pulled off his head. They copied him, and you didn’t even think?” Oh, she was mad. “And now you’re just going to let him melt?”

 

“Melt?” He turned in time to see the plastic head on the console melting. “Oh, no no no no no!” He ran over and set the TARDIS to move, shocking Rose.

 

“What’re you doing?”

 

“Following the signal. It’s fading--wait a minute, I’ve got it!” He messed with the controls, trying to keep the signal locked. “No, _no no no no no!_ Almost there, almost there….here we go!” The TARDIS landed with a loud thud, and the Doctor ran out of the ship at once, Rose squeaking in protest and running after him.

 

“Doctor, you can’t go out there! It’s not...safe…” she trailed off, eyes wide. They were no longer in an alley being attacked by not-Mickey, but in Westminster. The Doctor barely glanced back, focusing on the task at hand. This had to go well.

 

“I lost the signal, I got so close!”

 

Rose didn’t seem to care. “We’ve moved. Does it fly?”

 

“Disappears there and reappears here. You wouldn’t understand.” And wow, that was rude. 

 

“If we’re somewhere else, what about that headless thing? It’s still on the loose.”

 

“It melted with the head.” He looked back finally, watching Rose pace in shock. “Are you going to witter on all night?”

 

“I’ll have to tell his mother.” She looked up. “Mickey. I’ll have to tell his mother he’s dead, and you just went and forgot him, again! You were right.” She shook her head. “You are alien.”

 

“Look, if I did forget some kid called Mickey--”

 

“Yeah, he’s not a kid.”

 

“--it’s because I’m trying to save the life of every stupid ape blundering on top of this planet, all right?”

 

Rose stared for a moment, and the Doctor fought not to sigh. This version of him really did have a temper. “All right.”

 

“Yes, it is!”

 

Then, like always, the little human that caught his hearts surprised him. “If you are an alien, how comes you sound like you’re from the North?”

 

“Lots of planets have a north!”

 

“What’s a police public call box?” On to the next topic. His head was spinning.

 

“It’s a telephone box from the 1950s. It’s a disguise.”

 

“...okay.” Maybe not a good one, then. “And this, this living plastic...what’s it got against us?”

 

“Nothing. It loves you. You’ve got such a good planet--lots of smoke and oil, plenty of toxins and dioxins in the air, perfect. Just what the Nestene Consciousness needs. It’s food stock was destroyed in the war, all its protein plants rotted, so Earth, dinner!”

 

“Any way of stopping it?”

 

He held up a tube, giving her a manic grin. “Anti-plastic.”

 

“...anti-plastic.”

 

“Anti-plastic!” The Doctor grinned wider. “But first I’ve got to find it. How can you hide something this big in a city this small?” Of, course, he already knew, but Rose figured it out. She found and saw what the Doctor never thought to look at, and that little fact made him love her that much more. Not that he’d say it out loud, of course. Rose frowned.

 

“Hold on. Hide what?”

 

“The transmitter. Round and massive, slap bang in the middle of London.” He turned, and unlike the first time around, he saw the London Eye in his view. Wait for it… “A huge circular metal structure like a dish, like a wheel. Radial. Close to where we’re standing. Must be completely invisible!” He looked at her. “What? What is it? What?” 

 

Rose nodded toward the background, and he looked at the Eye once again, grinning madly. Their first adventure was underway. “Oh. Fantastic!”

 

-DW-

 

It was just like he remembered. He spoke long speeches to the Nestene Consciousness, the vial was found, Mickey was found, and he shouted for Rose to run. It was instinct by now. He didn’t want Rose to be injured in their adventures, even if he knew the outcome. Things could and will change. Luckily, this time, nothing did, and Rose kicked the vial of anti-plastic into the vat that held the Nestene Consciousness, destroying it. Now, Mickey the Idiot and Rose were in the alley with him. It was the moment of truth. “I’ll be off, unless, er...I don’t know, you could come with me.” He sounded hopeful. “This box isn’t just a London hopper, you know. It goes anywhere in the universe free of charge.”

 

“Don’t, he’s alien! He’s a…a thing!” The Doctor could have killed Mickey in that instant.

 

“He’s not invited. What do you think? You could stay here, fill your life with work and food and sleep, or...you could go anywhere.”

 

Rose looked tempted. “Is it always this dangerous?”

 

“Yeah.” 

 

She looked down, and he sighed. “Yeah, I can’t. I’ve, er, I’ve got to go and find my mum, and someone’s got to look after this lump, so…” 

 

“Okay. See you around.” He got into the TARDIS and left, floating in space idly in his ship. He’d go back, but he had time. Now, he had to decide: to change the future, or to not? If he didn’t,things would end as they already did, and Canary Wharf would end in heartbreak like it always would. If he did, he may very well be stuck in this body for good. Then again, he’d have Rose, and wasn’t that what mattered?

 

It was a risk he was willing to take. “Allons-y,” he murmured, and The Doctor flicked a switched. Poking his head out of the door, he saw Rose turn back toward him in shock. “By the way, did I mention it also travels in time?”  
Rose grinned and looked to Mickey. “Thanks.”

 

“Thanks for what?”

 

“Exactly.”

 

She kissed his cheek and ran into the TARDIS, ready to begin the adventure of a lifetime. It would be absolutely _fantastic._


	4. The End of the World (Part One)

“Where are we? What’s out there?”

The Doctor grinned knowingly, leaving the console and opening the door for Rose to exit. Outside of that door, he knew, was the end of the world. The Earth was evacuated, the citizens leaving unnecessary items behind to burn with their dead and their history as they went to go on and start a new life elsewhere in the universe. Down below them was the preserved planet, the shields keeping it from destruction at its last, final moments, unable to prevent the Sun’s inevitable expansion and consumption to the home of what used to be billions of human beings and other animals.

Put simply, the planet was on its deathbed. Rose didn’t quite know that yet. It was really something exciting to see.

“You lot, you spend all your time thinking about dying, like you’re going to get killed by eggs or beef or global warming or asteroids.” He waved his hand. “But you never take the time to imagine the impossible, that maybe you survive. This...this is the year five point five slash apple slash twenty-six. Five billion years in your future, and this is the day the Sun expands.” The Sun flares and turns a brilliant red. He nodded toward it. 

“Welcome to the end of the world.”

 

He leads her along from Gallery 15 to the observation gallery, where people of all species were gathered and chatting amongst themselves. Outside of the observation deck, the planet was displayed, a perfect view of its demise. 

 

“What are they doing on board this spaceship?” Rose asked, frowning. She was getting her head around it all. Aliens were people, he had said. Well, if you considered them in the definition of the word. “What’s it all for?”

 

“It’s not really a spaceship, more like an observation deck. The great and the good are gathering to watch the planet burn,” he explained, motioning to everyone gathered. 

 

“What for?”

 

“Fun.” He shrugged. “Mind you, when I said the great and the good, what I mean is, the rich.” He listened to Rose ramble, answering her questions like it was second nature. He knew the dialogue. He knew the answers she would want. Right now, he himself was distracted. Lady Cassandra, the Last Human, would make an appearance today. He could stop that easily now. The deaths that would happen could be stopped. All of what happened was preventable, now that he knew what was going to happen on Earth’s last day. He smiled a bit as he saw a glance of the bark woman, Jabe. She would not burn. 

 

“Who the hell are you?”

 

He startled from his thoughts, looking at the steward. Ah. Right. He could deal with him easily. 

 

“I’m a guest. Look, I’ve got an invitation.” He took his psychic paper out quickly. “You see? The Doctor plus one. I’m the Doctor, this is Rose Tyler. She’s my plus one. Is that alright?”

 

The steward looked extremely confused but nodded. “Well, obviously. Apologies, et cetera. If you’re on board, we’d better start. Enjoy.”

 

The Doctor nodded and showed the paper to Rose. “It’s slightly psychic, shows them whatever I want them to see. Saves a lot of time.”

 

“...he’s blue.”

 

Of all the things to focus on. “Yeah.”

 

“Okay.”

 

The Doctor smiled and led her along toward the guests, where gifts were exchanged between guests and themselves. Saliva, a twig, a large metal ball...the Doctor wasn’t very thrilled with that one. He stuck it into his pocket (bigger on the inside) and looked over as Lady Cassandra O’Brien Dot Delta Seventeen was rolled into the observation deck, a large, stretched out piece of skin with a face. The Doctor tried not to stare in disgust. Rose looked shocked.

 

“She is the last human?” she asked in a whisper, listening as the woman rambled about her life on Earth and so called “rarities”. Both time travelers snorted quietly at her definition of an ostrich and an iPod. What was worse was that she thought that Soft Cell was classical music. 

 

“She can’t be serious…” Rose whispered, looking at the Doctor.

 

“Afraid so,” he said as the steward announced the Earth’s death: thirty minutes. Rose shook her head and took a step back, running off. The Doctor frowned and followed after her, ignoring the flash from Jabe’s device (he’d deal with it later) and going after the human. 

 

_“Would the owner of the blue box in private gallery fifteen please report to the Steward’s office immediately. Guests are reminded that the use of teleportation devices is strictly forbidden under Peace Treaty five point four slash cup slash sixteen. Thank you.”_

 

Bloody hell.

 

-DW-

 

Metal spiders scurried throughout the platform. No way to be caught, because no one noticed. No one, of course, except for the plumber. Not to worry, though. She was easily taken care of.

 

-DW-

 

The Doctor saw the spider pop out of the ball this time around, but that was luck on his part. This time, he’d kept the ball with him. The spider tried to crawl out of his endless pocket. but it wasn’t hard to grip it and take a look. Out came the sonic screwdriver, and a scan led him to the source. Of course, Lady Cassandra couldn’t have suspected he’d find them. Sun filter, he had to go protect the sun filter.  
Quickly, he ran toward the Steward’s office, barging in and finding the man. He jumped, eyes wide in shock.

 

“I say, Doctor! What is the meaning of this?”

 

He held the fidgeting spider up in his hand. “This came out of one of the peace offerings. The readings, they aren’t good. Spot any, smash it at once.”  
“Now why would I do that?”

 

He frowned, “Steward, I am a time traveler. I know all sorts of timelines that you couldn’t possibly understand. And I know that if you let these things roam about your platform, the sun filter will be deactivated and many of us will burn. Your little event? Done. I hope you never expect any more events on your decks.”

 

The steward stared with side eyes, nodding slowly. “Yes, yes. Of course.” The deck trembled, and his eyes widened even more. “That’s not supposed to happen.” He reached for the intercom and made a calm announcement.  
“Honoured guests may be reassured that gravity pockets may cause slight turbulence, thanking you.”

 

He hung the intercom up and looked at the Doctor. “You can stop anything from happening, correct?”

 

He nodded. “I can, yes.” He was going to get it right this time. Everyone lives.

 

“Then do it.” 

 

The Doctor nodded and left, scanning the spider again and going to trace the signal. The steward watched him go, shaking his head and closing his eyes again. “I don’t get paid enough for this.”

 

He stayed like that for a few moments before getting up and leaving. He needed a drink.

 

As he did that, another spider appeared, being quiet this time around. It crawled toward the button and pressed it, scurrying off to find its kin. 

 

_“Sun filter deactivated. Sun filter descending.”_


	5. The End of the World (Part Two)

The Doctor was not, he decided, having a good day. The platform shook again, and he could have sworn it was getting hotter in the room. It could have just been him--Rassilion, he just had to choose a leather jacket on top of a jumper--as well, but at this point, he doubted it. The engines kicked up, and he sighed. One thing he couldn’t change, it seemed. But no one has to die.

 

“Doctor!”

 

He turned around and blinked in surprise, staring as Rose came walking toward him. “Rose! What are you doing? I thought you were talking to a twig.”

 

She frowned, cheeks turning a light pink in embarrassment. “I got bored. How do you know that, anyway?”

 

“I’m a Time Lord, I know everything.”

 

She shook her head. “Whatever. What happened with the ship just now? Is it supposed to shake like that?”

 

He sighed, walking toward the observation gallery. Naturally, Rose followed. She always followed. “No, it’s not. Of course, no one will admit to that. Who wants to admit to being on board a defective platform, near a dying planet, in the middle of space?” The Doctor shook his head. “No, they’ll say something else. Something like gravity pockets to keep the guests calm.”

 

“But they’re not.”

 

“No.” He looked up when they entered the gallery, eyes locking in Jabe. Oh, she knew more than she let on. The Doctor sighed. She wouldn’t die tonight. The woman in question looked over and spotted the two, walking toward them.

 

“That wasn’t a gravity pocket,” she began, and the Doctor shook his head. 

 

“I know gravity pockets, and they don’t feel like that. What do you think, Jabe? Listen to the engines.”

 

Jabe frowned. “It sounds like metal. What’s that supposed to mean?”

 

“We need to get to the engine room.” The Doctor looked between her and Rose. “Take me to your room. There should be a maintenance duct behind your suit.” Oh, he was being so, so careless with this, with the information he knew, but right now it didn’t matter. Jabe couldn’t come with him to the engine room, not unless he wanted her to burn. 

 

Jabe looked unsurprised, to the Doctor’s own surprise. “There is. I can take you and your wife.”

 

“Not my wife.” He felt himself blush lightly, feeling Rose’s stare between he and Jabe. Great.

 

“Partner.”

 

“Nope.”

 

“Prostitute?”

 

“Okay then!” The Doctor quickly took Rose’s hand, gripping it tight. “Rose, you can help me. You did before.”

 

The blonde looked between them. “Sure you two don’t want to...I dunno, pollinate or something?”

 

“Nope! No pollinating. Nothing of the sort,” he said quickly. “Jabe, if you will?”

 

Jabe looked between them in amusement. “Then follow me.”

 

-DW-

 

“You are a human, are you not?”

 

The trio had been walking together in silence, listening to the platform countdown to the end of Earth’s long life. Rose had been fidgety, feeling the stares from Jabe and honestly feeling uncomfortable due to them. It wasn’t often a tree stared at a person like that. At least, not from where she was from. When she was from. Whatever.

 

“How can you tell?”

 

“Despite how flat Lady Cassandra is, there are similar features between you two. The face. The skin.” The tree lady ran a finger along Rose’s skin. “So similar, yet so different.”

 

Rose shrugged and rubbed her arm. “Honestly, I’d rather look the way I am than become a bitchy trampoline.”

 

Jabe chuckled and looked up at the Doctor. “The Doctor brought you here from another time.”

 

“Yeah.” She nodded. “2005. Right good old time for plants, I’m sure.”

 

“Quite. The Earth is like family to my kind. So many developed and evolved from it, including myself. My ancestors were transplanted from the planet down below. I’m a direct descendant of the tropical rainforest, actually.” She frowned as Rose giggled. “What is it?”

 

“Nothing, just...trans _planted_. Since trees are plants. Were plants.” She shrugged. “Never mind.”

 

Jabe smiled a bit as the Doctor chuckled at the lame joke. “It’s funny. No pun intended then, I suppose.” She looked over. “What about you, Doctor?”

 

“What about me?” He looked over.

 

“Your ancestry. You’ve bound to have a few stories to share of your own. Time Lords are long extinct, save for you. It’s remarkable you even exist.” She walked up to him as he went quiet, placing a hand on his arm. “And...I am so sorry.”

 

The Doctor closed his eyes. “Me too.”

 

Jabe walked ahead, and a hand slipped into his. He opened his eyes again to see Rose looking up at him, a confused but comforting smile on her lips. He smiled back and squeezed her hand, taking her along to the door panel ahead. Everything was alright.

 

-DW-

 

_“Earth Death in ten minutes. Earth Death in ten minutes.”_

 

“The planet’s end. Come gather, come gather. Bid farewell to the cradle of civilization. Let us mourn her with a traditional ballad.”

 

Through the corridors, “Toxic” played on as the rich and honored guests mourned the planet below.

 

-DW-

 

Lady Cassandra, in the end, was the culprit behind the crimes. Of course, he already knew that, but he had to go through his whole 'this is why I know she did it' thing to get everyone else to believe it. The Repeated Memes were droids. The spiders went to Cassandra. And all she wanted was money. Pathetic. 

 

"I know the use of teleportation is strictly forbidden, but I'm such a naughty thing. Spiders, activate." They began to explode, and there were screams as they did so. Cassandra grinned. 

 

_"Safety systems failing."_

 

"Force fields failing with the planet about to explode." She shook her head. "At least it'll be quick. Just like my fifth husband! Oh, shame on me...bye bye, darling!"

 

_"Heat levels critical."_

 

"Doctor, what are we going to do?" Rose asked, frowning and looking around. "All these people..."

 

"We shut the system off manually." He looked at them. "Rose, with me. The rest of you lot...stay here. Just chill."

 

"I'm coming with you," Jabe said, and he shook his head. 

 

"Jabe, no," he said, but she didn't listen. 

 

"I'm going down with you. Let's go now, before we all burn on this blasted platform."

 

Knowing there was no time to argue, the Doctor just led the two to the engine room, sighing. "Of course it would be across of that." 

 

He pointed to razor sharp fans spinning rapidly. Quick, he had to think. She couldn't hold the breaker--

 

The fans stopped, and he looked over to see Rose holding the breaker tightly. "Go, Doctor!" He could have kissed her. 

 

"Jabe, leave. The heat will vent through here. You'll combust."

 

The tree lady stated before nodding. "I'll stay close, if you need help." She looked at Rose and ran away from the engine, watching from a distance. If they failed, she'd catch fire either way. She could at least stay by if they needed her. 

 

With Jabe away, the Doctor quickly ran across to the other side, looking over at Rose as he shut it off. "Raise shields!"

 

He relaxed as the computer counted down and the platform didn't explode. "We did it."

 

Across the way, Rose grinned. "Yeah. We did."

 

-DW-

 

It was an honest relief to be back in 2005. People swarmed around them, shouting out and calling and shopping. Give it a few years and everyone will be texting and walking, forgetting about the events that will go on around them as their heads were down and staring at a tiny computer screen. The Doctor shook his head, holding onto Rose's hand tight. Technology, he determined, was wonderful, but it was capable of so much destruction. A little tampering killed a few people on Platform One even though he tried to stop it. A little tampering made it no longer safe, and burned everything as the Earth reached its end. _All that history, and no one had seen it go_ , Rose has said. He quite agreed. 

 

"You think it'll last forever, people and cars and concrete, but it won't," he said quietly, looking back down at her. "One day it's all gone. Even the sky." The Doctor went quiet. "My planet's gone. It's dead. It burned like the Earth. It's just rocks and dust before it's time."

 

"What happened?" Rose asked quietly. 

 

"There was a war," he said. "And we lost. Now it's just me. I'm the last of the Time Lords, and I travel on my own because there's no one else."

 

"There's me," she said, and he smiled. His Rose. 

 

"Yeah," he whispered. "I suppose there is."

 

The Doctor and Rose Tyler, against the world. "Let's get some chips. Only five million years until shops close." He grinned, and Rose laughed, shouting "Race you there!" as she took off. The Doctor laughed and went after her. 

 

Just as it should be.


	6. The Unquiet Dead (Part One)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm thinking of splitting this story into three sections, actually. I ought to dive into the Doctor's thoughts more than I should have. Just an FYI.
> 
> ALSO, I really want to right a different story outside of the episodes for these two. Any creatures you want to see? Any ideas? Perhaps an episode from a future or past Doctor you'd like to see Nine/Ten interact with? Let me know!

_“He hasn’t woken up for weeks, Mr. Harkness. I’m concerned.”_

_“Just Jack. Mr. Harkness makes me sound old. What did he say before this, Martha?”_

_“Something about a...a healing coma. I tried looking things up in the medical wing, in the library, everything I could think of, but...there’s nothing. Anything that could have held something is written in Gallifreyan--”_

_“--and the TARDIS doesn’t translate that.”_

_There was a moment of silence between the two, save for the sound of a steady, quiet breathing that could only be that of the Time Lord lying still on the bed of the medical wing._

_“There might be someone,” came Jack’s voice._

_“Who?”_

_“Another Time Lord. The Master.”_

_“But he said he’s the last Time Lord.” Martha sounded confused._

_“There’s a reason Doc doesn’t talk about him, Martha. Besides, I don’t think even he knows he’s still alive.”_

_“How do you, then?”_

_“He’s not the only time traveler in this universe, sweetheart. I’ve seen some things.” There was a pause. “I’m sure the Doctor will be fine, Martha, but are you really that concerned about this...coma?”_

_“I’m not sure. Like I said, it’s been weeks.”_

_“...I’ll see what I can do.”_

 

-DW-

 

The Doctor bolted up in his bed, looking around his bedroom and feeling his face. Big ears, big nose, no hair. He was still his past self. Sighing, he let himself drop back onto the mattress as he stared up at the ceiling. That was just a dream, then. If anything, however, the dream made him even more confused. Was he dreaming, or was this real? He knew he was in a healing coma, had known from the beginning. Yet Martha was still there ( _he had been out for **weeks**_ ) and Jack had somehow come into the mix ( _how did he even find out where they were? How was he even still alive?_ ) and now he was going to contact the Master ( _he thought he was dead_ ) to take him out of the coma.

 

How confusing. His head was aching in it. For now, however, he would put it to the back of his mind. It didn’t matter. 

 

(Well, that was a lie. It _did_ matter, but right now he didn’t care to think too much on what happened to him. He was healing, from what he could gather, so he put his trust in that. Unless the Master was brought into play. Then he would worry.)

 

The Doctor rolled out of bed and went toward the kitchen, where a sleepy Rose was fumbling around for the kettle and some tea. He smiled a bit. She was cute when she was sleepy. If he and his ninth self were in their right minds, the former would likely blush while the latter would scold himself for thinking that way about a companion. Since they weren’t, however, all morals flew out of the window, and he let himself think what he wished.

 

Besides, this was a dream anyway. Damn the consequences.

 

“Mornin’!” he called, sounding chipper despite his earlier dream. Rose looked over and frowned.

 

“You’re awfully happy this morning. What is it?”

 

“Nothing. Brand new day! Things to see, worlds to save--”

 

“--tea to drink,” she said with a grin. The Doctor grinned back.

 

“That too. Plenty of things to do. A whole universe to explore! Why would I not be happy?”

 

“It’s who-knows-how early in the morning, that’s why,” she grumbled. “Can’t get that chipper if I tried without a cuppa.”

 

“Good thing you’re making some. Where’d you want to go?”

 

Rose looked back at the kettle and shrugged. “Dunno. The past?”

 

The Doctor nodded, sitting on the table. “Sounds good. How’s 1860 sound?”

 

Rose raised an eyebrow as the kettle boiled, looking at him. “What happened 1860?”

 

Oh, she had no idea. “I don’t know, let’s find out!”

 

The Doctor ran toward the console room, Rose’s confused but amused giggles following him out.

 

-DW-

 

The trip itself was a rather rough one. Rose had wanted to help fly the TARDIS, and it turned out that she was just a bit too short to reach a lot of the controls no matter how much she stretched (the Doctor found this rather endearing). They landed just as roughly, but instead of being confused and shocked, he laughed. Rose couldn’t help but join in, amused by the Doctor’s demeanor. He was rather amused himself, admittedly. He wondered what kind of tea Rose made that morning. Something had to be in that tea.

 

“Blimey, that was rough,” he said, getting up. Rose nodded in agreement and stood, dusting off her pants.

 

“You’re telling me. Where are we?”

 

“Earth, Naples, December 24, 1860.” He raised an eyebrow at her expression. “What?”

 

“Nothing. Just...it’s so weird. It’s Christmas.”

 

The Doctor nodded. “It is, yeah.”

 

She shook her head. “But, it's like, think about it, though. Christmas. 1860. Happens once, just once and it's gone, it's finished, it'll never happen again. Except for you.” She looked up at him in what looked like awe. “You can go back and see days that are dead and gone a hundred thousand sunsets ago. No wonder you never stay still.”

 

“Not a bad life,” he said quietly. Rose grinned.

 

“Better with two. Come on, then.” She began to walk out, and he went after her. 

 

“Where do you think you’re going?”

 

“1860,” Rose said, giving him a look. The Doctor rolled his eyes.

 

“Go out there dressed like that, you'll start a riot, Barbarella. There's a wardrobe through there. First left, second right, third on the left, go straight ahead, under the stairs, past the bins, fifth door on your left. Hurry up!”

 

Rose stared in confusion but nodded, going into the TARDIS to change. The Doctor smiled softly, knowing his ship would show her the way. “Thanks, old girl,” he said affectionately.

 

The ship hummed warmly in response.

 

-DW-

 

“Not a sign. Where is she? “

 

“She's vanished into the ether, sir. Where can she be?”

 

“You tell me, girl.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“Gwyneth, you know full well.”

 

“No, sir! I can't.”

 

“Use the sight!”

 

“It's not right, sir!”

 

“Find the old lady or you're dismissed. Now, look inside, girl. Look deep. Where is she?”

 

“...she's lost, sir. She's so alone...oh, my lord! So many strange things in her head…”

 

“But where?!”

 

“She's excited about tonight. Before she passed on, she was going to see him.”

 

“Who's him?”

 

“The great man...all the way from London. The great, great man…”

 

-DW-

 

Rose looked beautiful. 

 

Honestly, she always looked beautiful to him. The dress fit her just right, and her expression when he saw her walk out made her even more so. He would never laugh, because how could he laugh at such beauty?

 

That was the last time he hung around the Cavalier poets.

 

Of course, he ended up disappointing her with Cardiff, not Naples, but this moment had always been exciting for him. They were going to meet the great Charles Dickens! They were going to run into the living dead! He could hear his voice from the theater, reading A Christmas Carol, and honestly, this was just fantastic. 

 

Maybe he should stop reading blogs as well. He was turning into a right fangirl. Fanboy. Fanperson.

 

Whatever.

 

The only thing to break the memory and nostalgia that came with this trip to Christmas in Cardiff were the screams that emitted from the theater. Despite himself, the Doctor grinned widely. “That’s more like it!” His adrenaline kicked in, and he ran off into the theater, watching as two people left with a woman in tow, leaving Rose behind.

 

Wait.

 

“Rose?” 

 

“She’s cold! She’s dead! Oh my god, what did you do to--”

 

Her voice stopped and she fell back, the man behind her shoving her into the hearse.

 

“Rose!”

 

He tried to go, but Dickens (bless and curse the man) stopped him.

 

“You’re not escaping me, sir! What do you know about that hobgoblin, hmm? Projection on glass, I suppose. Who put you up to this?”

 

“I apologize, Mr. Dickens, but please--shut up.” He looked around and hopped into the carriage nearest. 

 

“Excuse you! That’s my coach!” Dickens protested.

 

“Well then get in!” He moved over for the author to get in, and nodded when he did so. 

 

“Why should I let this carriage move, sir? Who are you anyway?”

 

“I’m the Doctor, I love your books--brilliant, by the way--but right now my companion has been taken by those two loons, as well as the glowing woman from your reading. You want to know what happened in there? I’d get a move on.”

 

Dickens looked confused, and the driver looked back.

 

“Would you like me to remove him, Mr. Dickens?”

 

The author slowly shook his head. “No, no, he can stay. Do as the man says, Mr. Finn!"

 

The driver nodded and took off. The Doctor took a deep breath and nodded to himself, keeping conversation with Dickens up so he wouldn’t change his mind (not that any of his comments held false meaning).

 

He’d get Rose back, he knew, but that didn’t mean he was worried any less. Time was changing, and this time...well, anything could happen. They had been trapped in a cellar with Gelth wanting to kill them, for god’s sake! 

 

And this time? Well...they might not get so lucky. He could only hope that they would.


	7. The Unquiet Dead (Part Two)

"I'm sorry sir, we're closed."

The Doctor normally considered himself a patient man. Really, he did. He's lived for over 900 years and through multiple wars, one that destroyed everything he knew and everyone he loved. If he wasn't patient, he'd go insane. Tonight, however, he was not patient. Last time he was in this situation, he had had only a vague idea of what was going on on the other side of the door. He knew Rose was here, knew there was the walking dead, but he hadn't known they were in close proximity to one another, not initially. He hadn't known that Sneed here had tried to cop a feel on his companion (it took the strength of a thousand Cybermen to not murder the man right then and there). Luckily, he didn't have to speak, since Dickens did it for him.

"Nonsense! Since when did an undertaker keep office hours?" He waved his hand in dismissal. "The dead don't die on schedule. I demand to see your master."

"He's not in, sir," the young woman (Gwyneth, if he remembered correctly) insisted, shaking her head.

"Don't lie to me, child. Summon him at once."

"I'm awfully sorry, Mister Dickens, but the master's indisposed-"

The gas lamp flared, and the Doctor raised his eyebrow. Damn the Gelth. "Having trouble with your gas?"

"What the Shakespeare is going on?" Dickens asked, watching as the Doctor walked right past them both despite Gwyneth's protests.

"You're not allowed inside, sir!"

"There's something inside the walls," he said in dismissal, heading to the door that led to where Rose was. "Something is living inside the gas. Rose?"

"Doctor!" Rose banged on the door. "Let me out, please!"

"Hang on, hang on!" He completely ignored as Sneed came down in protest, opening the door just as the living dead grabbed the blonde on the other side. He quickly pulled her away from the corpse, looking over her. "You alright?"

"Yeah. Who's your friend?"

"Charles Dickens."

"Okay," she said, staring at the author.

The Doctor looked toward the animated corpse, frowning. "My name is the Doctor. You're the Gelth, aren't you." He raised an eyebrow as the corpse remained silent. "You're trapped in the rift, with nothing to bring you out. Well, that's too bad, innit? You're stuck there, forever."

Rose frowned. "What?"

"Rose, if the Gelth come through, not only will she-" He pointed to Gwenyth, whose eyes widened in shock. "-die a rather painful death, but the Gelth will reanimate the dead. Imagine waking up one morning to see thousands, no, millions, of corpses walking around in the streets. Theses things are like termites. They won't stop coming back."

Everyone stared at the corpse in shock, while it itself looked as shocked as a dead, reanimated body could. "We are dying!" it shouted, several voices emitting from the body. "We are trapped! Have mercy on us, mercy on the Gelth!"

He frowned. "No. No mercy on the Gelth."

"Help us!" The body became lifeless once again, falling to the ground as the gas left it, returning to the lamp. Rose stared at it in shock, looking between it and the Doctor.

"I thought you helped people," she said quietly, and ouch, that pierced his two hearts deeply. The Doctor sighed and took her hand.

"Look, Rose, I'm a time traveler. I know what will happen during certain events." That put it vaguely, to say the least. "If we let the Gelth roam free, lots of people will die. It's one species against another, and frankly, I'd like the human race to live. Even if you are just a bunch of stupid apes." He smiled a bit, but Rose didn't look completely comforted by that.

A cough came from behind them, and the duo turned around to see the other three watching them.

"Anyone for a cuppa?" Gwenyth asked nervously.

-DW-

Convincing Charles Dickens to believe what he saw was indeed fact was a tedious task, really, and the Doctor watched as Rose ranted to Sneed and Dickens went to examine the corpse more thoroughly. He sighed and closed his eyes, thinking. He would have to go to the rift in the basement, close it off before Gwenyth had the idea to go and bring the Gelth into this world. He couldn't let that happen. He couldn't put Rose at risk again, let alone the whole world. He would do things right.

But what if these events were meant to happen? That was frustrating.

If this really was real, then everything he changed now would stay permanent. Could it keep Rose in this universe? Was she even in Pete's world anymore? Even he couldn't quite know. He could ask the TARDIS, but she refused to answer with more than a hum when he asked how an outcome will happen?.

"...and you, you've flown so far. Further than anyone. The things you've seen. The darkness, the big bad wolf!'

The Doctor's eyes flew open. Bad Wolf. He got up and went toward the two women, looking between them. "You can see the future."

"I should say not, sir."

"But you've just seen it. Do you know Bad Wolf?"

"...sorry, sir," Gwenyth said, shaking her head. "I do not."

The Doctor sighed. They couldn't really escape Bad Wolf this time around, either. Rose was the Bad Wolf, and that would never change.

"Right. I apologize. You've lived on this rift your whole life, haven't you? Born and raised."

"That's right," she said. "I've tried to make sense of it, but...no one helps."

"You can control it."

"Aye, some days."

He looked between them all. "Then you've got to close it. If you don't, the world you saw? Dead. It won't exist."

The room was silent as Gwenyth thought. Finally, she nodded. "Show me what to do."

-DW-

Gwenyth was dead the moment she stepped into the arch.

The Doctor had been overly hopeful, he supposed, believing that stepping into it so she could close it would, instead of killing her, allow her to live. The Gelth couldn't get through unless she let them...but, he supposed, the few that escaped while she tried to close the rift could have done that. He couldn't stop everything, and unfortunately, this was one thing he couldn't stop.

"I'm so sorry," he said to her as Rose and Dickens ran out of the house. Gwenyth shook her head.

"Protect her, Doctor. Things...they're changing. Nothing is set in stone."

He frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Time." Her eyes grew hazy. "It was so set, but you came back, and now nothing is certain. It could be your uprising...or your downfall, for both you and Rose. Be safe, tread carefully." She pulled her match out. "Now run!"

The Doctor ran out, the house exploded, and that was that.

Rose hadn't been very happy once they left her behind, but it was a solemn agreement between them both. Everyone should live. That didn't mean everyone could.

"I wish we could have saved her," she said quietly. The Doctor nodded in agreement.

"I wish everyone could," he responded. "We tried, Rose. I'm sorry."

"It's fine." Rose chewed her lip. "Does he ever write about the ghosts?"

"In a week's time it's 1870, and that's the year he dies. He'll never get to tell his story."

"Ah. He was so nice." She frowned. The Doctor shook his head.

"He was already dead in your time, Rose. We've brought him back to life, and he's more alive now than he's ever been. Let's give him one last surprise."

The TARDIS disappeared, and the Doctor smiled as the clock struck midnight.

"Merry Christmas, Rose."

The blonde smiled softly. "Merry Christmas, Doctor."


	8. Aliens of London (Part One)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I decided to veer off script a lot for this chapter. I felt like I wasn't making this story my own as much as I wanted, so enjoy this chapter with a few guest stars!

The Doctor refused to return Rose home a year late this time.

It wasn't only because he wanted to be more responsible this time around, not really. What he wanted more than that was to avoid an infamous slap from one Jackie Tyler. He did miss the woman-she had grown on him over the years-but a slap on the cheek? He could always live without that.

Unfortunately for him, luck didn't seem to favor him. It never did. No, Rose wasn't missing for an entire year, but she was missing for twelve weeks. The Doctor was fairly certain the TARDIS wanted to mess with him at this point, and he winced as the police were (once again) called to the Tyler flat and Jackie (once again) slapped his cheek hard enough to turn his face bright red.

"Ow!" The Doctor reached up to hold his cheek, backing away from the older woman. She looked like she had another slap in her.

"Three bloody months!" Jackie shouted. "What are you, a pedophile? You haven't hired my daughter for sex, have you?"

"No!" the Doctor shouted, secretly thankful as Rose stepped between them.

"It wouldn't be your business even if he had, mum," she said, the calming voice in the storm that was Jackie Tyler. "He didn't. We were just travelin'. Nothing more."

Jackie didn't look convinced. She reached out and touched Rose's cheek. "You at least thought of me, yeah?"

"Every day, mum. I'm sorry I didn't call."

The Doctor let them catch up and slipped out to the roof of Powell Estate, looking out over London. Nine months until London was graced with the presence of the Slitheen. At least they could relax a bit until they came down to Earth. Then again, everything was changing these days. He was changing his past-something that all Time Lords were told not to do the day they entered the academy. The time streams would change, and some things that were meant to be would not happen, changing history as they knew it…

For him, the Doctor mused, his end with Rose was one thing he didn't mind changing. He'd deal with the consequences when that day came.

The door behind him opened, and he looked away from the city to see Rose walking onto the roof. She smiled a bit and shut the door behind her, rubbing the back of her neck. "Sorry about that. She gets worried."

"I know," he said absently, looking away. "

"How would you know? You met her once."

Crap. "Well, she's your mum. Most mums worry sick when their child goes missing, yeah?"

Rose walked beside him and smiled a bit. "Yeah, suppose so. Not all mums, though."

He shrugged and glanced her way. "Well, yours seems to fit the bill."

Rose nodded and looked where the Doctor had been, shifting so she sat with her legs dangling over the edge. "Yeah. I can't tell her where we've been, can I?"

The Doctor shrugged again. "Well, you could. I can't guarantee she'd believe you, though."

"Well she wouldn't. Who would? I can't even begin to...she's never going to forgive me for that. I missed three months. Was there anything important?"

"Middling."

"You're useless." Rose shook her head, looking back at him. The Doctor rolled his eyes and raised an eyebrow.

"Does that mean you'll stop traveling?"

"No! Just...I can't do that to her again, Doctor." Rose sighed. "We need to come back on time. I don't want to give her a heart attack."

"Bet she's stronger than that." He smiled and sat on the edge. "Nine hundred years of time and space, and not once was I ever slapped by someone's mother." Well...that was a lie. Jackie, then Martha's mum, Francine. Rose giggled.

"She actually slapped you. I can't believe it. And your face!"

"It hurt!"

She rolled her eyes. "Nine hundred, eh?"

"Yeah. Do I look it?" He batted his eyes, and Rose snorted.

"Hardly. You barely look fifty." She nudged him. "She was right, though. Hell of an age gap. And the thing is...it's mental, and I can't tell anyone about this. Not without them thinking I'm a nutter."

The Doctor leaned back against the wall. "What, I'm not good company?"

"Nah, you're great. Just need some human interaction after a while is all." Rose frowned a bit. "That sounded a bit mean."

"It's fine. I get it." He straightened. "What about Mickey?"

Rose's eyes widened, and she got off the edge of the roof quickly. "Oh my god, I almost forgot!" She sprinted off to head to his flat, and he smiled a bit, following after.

Oh, Rose Tyler.

-DW-

On the other side of London, a man in a tweed jacket and bowtie ran through the streets, looking lost and confused as two women ran after him. One had bright red hair and ran surprisingly well in heels, shouting after him in obvious confusion, Scottish accent thick. The second was a blonde who seemed to radiate somewhat, skin casting a gold hue as she faded in and out. The man was running from her, and the redhead did as well, not sure why they were doing it.

"Why are we running?" she shouted, looking back. The blonde had gold eyes as well, though they mixed with brown as the gold faded in and out. She looked equally confused, a bit hurt due to the running. The redhead looked back to the man. "Doctor!"

The man suddenly stopped running, turning around in time for the redhead to crash into his chest. The blonde managed to stop in time, watching him.

"Why are you running?" she asked quietly. The man shook his head.

"You're not supposed to be here. Time lines...something's wrong." He looked down at his chest. "Amy, we're leaving."

"We can't just leave her," she snapped. "What's wrong with the time lines, anyway?"

He looked back up. "I lost her years ago, Amy. Many years ago...she's not supposed to be here."

The blonde shook her head. "I've never left, Doc-"

"Don't!" He closed his eyes and turned around. "We need to stop this. Something's extremely wrong here."

Someone was changing his time line, and he was going to find out who.

-DW-

Jackie Tyler was not a welcoming person. The Doctor had forgotten that about her.

That wasn't to say that they weren't friendly toward each other. In fact, she had even kissed him at one point when they returned from traveling. That was after this whole mess had happened, however, so expecting her to be anything more than cold toward him was something the Doctor didn't plan on doing. He was right to do so, actually. Jackie acted like he wasn't even there, going about her daily business while the Doctor sat there, waiting for Rose to return.

That didn't mean she hadn't shouted at him some more once her daughter wasn't there to defend his honor, but now she just ignored his presence altogether.

That left him sitting there and watching the telly boredly while he heard her blabber about the situation to everyone she could call, gossiping away and inviting them over for a welcome home party for Rose. He was pretty sure she had called him a pedophile at one point. The Doctor just ignored her in turn, so he couldn't be certain.

He relaxed when the door opened and Rose came home, Mickey in tow. The man looked like he wanted to punch the Doctor on sight, and honestly? He wouldn't blame him.

"Everyone thought I murdered her," he said coolly, looking at the Time Lord. The Doctor raised his hands in innocence.

"Not my fault everyone jumped to a brutal conclusion. Do you need to punch me?"

"I'd like to, yeah."

"Then do it."

"No," Rose said firmly, grabbing Mickey's hand. "No more bodily harm to the Doctor today, understood? I'm safe, Mickey." She looked him in the eyes. "Isn't that enough?"

"Not even a phone call, Rose. How is it enough?" Mickey walked away to find Jackie, and Rose fell back onto the couch, next to the Doctor.

"He'll never forgive me, either."

"He'll get over it. You could have called."

"Don't you take their side too," she groaned. "I'm already being hated on by my mum, friends, and now my boyfriend. I don't need you ganging up on me, too."

"To be fair, I don't think they'd let me into their little gang." He raised an eyebrow, and she rolled her eyes.

"Whatever. Did mum slap you again?"

"Surprisingly not. She's just acting like I don't exist."

"I suspect it'll be like that for a while. Do you need some tea?"

"If you could, please."

Rose smirked and stood. "You're being polite? What's got up your sleeves?"

"Oi!" the Doctor protested. "I am very polite, thank you."

"No, you're rude. Brilliant, but rude."

The Doctor pouted some more, and Rose laughed as she went to get the tea made up. He smiled fondly and tilted his head back. He had to blame the Tylers for making him all...domestic. At one point, he wouldn't even dream of simply laying around the flat while there was a world out there to explore. Now, however, it just seemed...natural. He rather liked it.

He wished he'd had more time like this with his Rose.

The Doctor sighed and looked out the window. This was his Rose, wasn't it? Just...earlier. Innocent, lovely Rose. His pink and yellow human.

Rassilion, he was a sap.

His thoughts were interrupted by a knocking at the door, and the Doctor shouted that he'd answer it. Probably some of Jackie's friends ready to yell at him. What he didn't expect to find was a gangly man with a bowtie, a redheaded woman who looked all levels of angry and confused, and a flickering blonde woman that had to be…"Rose?"

"Doctor," the man said, and his attention turned to him.

"Who are you?"

"You're messing with time lines. What the hell are you doing?" The man barged in, and the Doctor yelped in indignation.

"Oi! This isn't my flat, you know. Who are you?"

"Who do you think?"

The Doctor frowned, then looked at his hand as the man pulled out...a sonic screwdriver.

"...you're kidding me."

"Nope. What are you doing to the time lines? You're screwing them up, and everything is getting all...mumbley jumbley!" He waved his hands and frowned. The Doctor frowned as well.

"You didn't just say that. Besides, does it matter?" He crossed his arms. "It's for the better. I'm doing the right thing."

"You're not! You're causing probably hundreds of paradoxes, and all because you couldn't-"

"Doctor, who was at the door?" Rose walked in and both men looked over. His future version looked flabberghasted, while the redhead looked even more confused and the other, flickering Rose simply sighed.

"I should leave."

"...there's another of me. Why is there two of me?"

"Rose-"

There was a scream outside, and the group looked outside as a UFO crashed in the middle of London.

"Doctor?" the redhead asked. The bowtie man sighed.

"Bollocks."


	9. Aliens of London (Part Two)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I noticed that Saxon was around all away during the first rebooted season, and I thought that was cool. The arch goes back all the way to the beginning! Fun fact for you guys :)

"Doctor, what's going on?" Rose asked, frowning even more than she already was as both the Doctor and the bowtie man looked over at her. The latter looked away after realizing she didn't mean him, conversing quietly with the redhead instead. She was steadfastly ignoring the flickering image of herself trailing behind the group, and the Doctor sighed, taking her hand to comfort her. She squeezed it. "Tell me."

He sighed. "To put it simply, there are two of me. That's me. A future me, mind." He pointed to the other him. "Dunno which one though."

"I'm the eleventh," the other said, looking back at the two of them. "Normally that would be a big no-no, but since this idiot is ignoring every other rule of time, might as well tell you." He looked to Rose and smiled, body portraying a different stance. It was gentler, almost. "Hello, Rose Tyler."

Rose waves slowly. "Hello there. And who's this?"

"Yeah, Doctor. Who am I?" The redhead rolled her eyes and grinned at Rose, holding out her hand. "Amy Pond. Nice to meet you."

"Pleasure. And the other me?"

Both Doctors were quiet. "...she's you, Rose," the eleventh said eventually. "A future you. Don't ask about the flickering," he said quickly, seeing her mouth begin to move in question. "You'll find out when the time comes."

"Fine," she said quietly, looking between them. "So...a UFO in London."

"I'd say go take a look, but who knows what the traffic looks like," Amy grumbled, looking toward the wreckage. Already the sound of horns were echoing through the city, angry and confused drivers just wanting to get a move on. The Doctor looked at his future self, his companions, and the wreckage.

"So...anyone want to watch the telly?"

-DW-

The Tyler's flat was much more crowded than he remembered it being. Then again, two extra people (three, if you counted the not-quite-there Rose) crammed into the small space, watching the crash and getting info from the telly like every other person usually gets it.

He hated this method to no end.

The Doctor sighed and leaned back, taking in the news and looking at his other self. This was early, way too early. This wasn't right. They were supposed to have nine months without this incident, but here it was.

Time lines were changing, and not just his and Rose's.

The Doctor groaned quietly, closing his eyes and leaning back on the sofa. He really mucked things up. The other version of himself looked over at the groan, raising an eyebrow.

"It came early."

"Yes, thanks for pointing that out aloud." He sighed. "Can you see the shifts? What else have I changed?"

"Doctor, I make it a point to not look at my timeline, just in case I mess up what's meant to happen. Unlike you, let me point out." He wrinkled his nose. "I don't know what else you changed."

That just made the Doctor groan again.

"Look, chinny-"

"Chinny? Did you just call me chinny?"

He smirked. "You've got a bit of one."

"Fine, baldy, but don't take your anger out on me! Oh no, take it out on yourself."

"Technically I am."

The Doctor didn't see the pillow coming toward his head. "Oi!"

He looked and saw it had been Amy to hit him, and she scowled at them. "Stop arguing, would ya? My god. Look, you messed life up. It sucks, but we all do it. Can we move on and figure this mess out?"

It was then that Rose came out, finally escaping her mother's pestering ("Why are all these people in my flat, Rose Marion Tyler?!") and sitting beside her Doctor. "Can we stop this before mum has a heart attack? She's insisting it's your UFO or somethin'. Dunno why, she doesn't know you're from space yet."

The eleventh snorted and nodded. "Yes, yes. I know what happens, but since baldy here messed up-"

"I'm warning you-"

"There's no telling what may ensue. Let's just keep calm and carry on. To the UFO!" He stood quickly and bounded off like an unbalanced baby giraffe and Amy followed, leaving the two others in their wake.

"Let's go, I suppose."

The Doctor grinned and offered his arm. "Allons-y!"

-DW-

Going to the UFO, as both Doctors knew, meant going to Albion hospital. It meant walking into the mortuary, where they were examining the "alien" that had come down to earth. It meant consoling the workers there (both recognized Dr. Sato as someone to later work for Torchwood, but they wouldn't mention that.)

It meant trying to defend a pig.

He had forgotten how mutated the pig had been, enough to go and run on its hind legs from the soldiers that chased it. He did remember them shooting it dead, and being absolutely pissed like he had been before. These weren't the Slitheen, no, but he couldn't stand humans sometimes! It was scared...it was just scared. The Doctor closed his eyes and shook his head, looking at his other self and their companions. "That wasn't the real alien."

Everyone in the room (save his other self) looked surprised. "It wasn't?" Sato asked, frowning. "But it was in the crash. It wasn't one of our pigs, certainly."

"No, but this wasn't the alien you were looking for." He shook his head, looking around at them all. "They're disguised. They look like humans...we just need to find them." Where to look? Would they have the same skins as before?

"Sorry, but how do you know? How can we trust you?"

He frowned. "I'm the Doctor, and so is he." He pointed to the eleventh. "You could call us experts on this sort of stuff."

"Right now, we need to get to Downing Street," the eleventh said, clapping his hands together. "Brilliant. Never thought I'd relive this day. Amy!" He turned to his companion. "Take Rose home, would you? She should be with her mum."

Rose's jaw dropped. "I'm not leaving, not now!"

"Rose, please, it's for the best, I would kno-"

"Like hell you would." She scowled. "You aren't going to send me and Amy back to my home because you think it's for the best, Doctor. How dare you try and do that to me!"

Both stared at her in shock, and Amy laughed. "Your faces. She's right though. You think you're leaving us behind? Not a chance, raggedy man."

"But how will we get there? We don't even have the TARDIS," Rose frowned. "The roads are all blocked off as it is. Everyone's freaking out."

"We won't need the TARDIS," the eleventh said, walking out of the building. Outside of it were police cars and Saxon armored cars, surrounding the building.

"You're under arrest!" one of them shouted, and the Doctor grinned widely.

"Take me to your leader."

-DW-

"Ladies and gentlemen, can we convene? Quick as we can, please. It's this way on the right, and can I remind you ID cards are to be worn at all times." Ganesh said quickly to everyone, spotting both the Doctors. "Ah, Doctor! Here you are." He handed him one. "Your ID card. I'm sorry, but the other three don't have clearance."

The eleventh looked offended. "No clearance? Rubbish. I'm the Doctor."

Ganesh blinked. "Apologies." He went to grab the ID card back, but the Doctor pulled it away.

"I'm also the Doctor."

"...there are two of you?"

"Yes."

"Very well. I-" He stopped and groaned as a woman walked up to the group, holding her ID up.

"Harriet Jones, MP Flydale North. Excuse me, but are you the Doctor?"

"Yes," both said as Ganesh sighed and said, "Not now, Jones. We're busy. Can't you just go home?"

She ignored him and looked between them. "You're both the Doctor. May I have a word in private with one of you?"

The eleventh grinned widely. "Anything for you, Harriet Jones! Doctor, you have fun, I'm sure you know what you're doing. Amy! Rose! With me, please."

The Doctor smirked. "Alright, Doctor. You all play nice."

"When don't we?"

The Doctor left, and the eleventh put an arm around Harriet's shoulder. "Now, you saw an alien, yes? The Slitheen. Let's go put a stop to them."

-DW-

"Right!" The Doctor clapped his hands and looked around the room, nodding to them. "Hello! I'm the Doctor, as I'm sure you, as alien experts, know." He nodded again. "Good, good, no need for introductions. Now please, take off your ID carts, if you will." He raised an eyebrow as everyone stared at him. "What? Don't look at me like that."

"We were told not to," said one person, and he grinned.

"Yes! We were, weren't we! The middle of a not-alien crisis, and how dare we consider taking our ID cards off. In fact, keep them on the entire time! Seems a little suspicious, don't you think?" He pocketed his hands and looked around. "See, the pig alien? Not an alien. The spaceship? Definitely alien. Now, why would an alien species go and create a fake species? Anyone?"

"...it's a trap," one said, and he pointed at her.

"Bingo! It's a trap! Now, we're all gathered here, alien experts, the only people with knowledge how to fight them, gathered together in one room. On top of that, we're told to keep our ID cards on at all times and that man-" He pointed over at a larger man. "-keeps farting. Excuse you, sir, but you look rather ill."

The man stood. "I feel a bit...yes, quite ill."

"Well, you may fool the rest of the lot but you sure as hell don't fool me. Hello, Mr. Slitheen. Keep the farts to yourself."

"Would you rather silent but deadly?" The man began to unzip his hand, and the Doctor backed up to the rest of the group.

"Run!"

-DW-

"The Slitheen wear their victim's skins, you see. What you saw was an actual alien, yes, but we'll-Harriet, don't cry!" the eleventh Doctor said quickly, eyes wide. "Oh, don't cry, that's not a good thing to do! Look, we're okay, see? You, and me, and Amy and Ro-Amy? Rose?"

He turned around when he heard a shriek from the back of the cabinet room, seeing Amy and Rose standing there.

"They've skinned the bloody prime minister!"

The Doctor didn't even remember coming back toward this room. No. "Run, all of you, run!"

"Oh, leaving so soon?" a woman asked, and she blocked the doorway, grinning widely. "Sneaking around private areas is rather naughty, don't you think?" Margaret reached up and unzipped her head, Harriet screaming in shock. Amy and Rose ran toward the Doctor, Amy grabbing his arm while Rose grabbed his hand.

This wasn't good. Not at all.


	10. World War Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I'm sorry for the long wait, everyone! I just graduated high school, and the time between my last update and this one has been hectic! On the plus side, I have a laptop, so updates will be more frequent than it would had I not gotten one. Also: World War Three is a single chapter. While it's about ten pages long (according to Google Docs), I couldn't find a way to separate it into two parts without sticking to the transcript like usual. From here on out, I'm going on my take more than a retelling, everyone! Now, onto the show!

Downing Street was, frankly, a mess.

The Doctor wasn't one to exaggerate (okay, that was a lie), but the chaos that currently took over the building was one similar to that of the day he met Rose, with people running in every direction, though some (thankfully) stayed calm enough to evacuate the building. Bless their souls.

The Doctor remembered this event much differently, he briefly thought as he ushered the (now alive) group of alien experts down into the lobby, the Slitheen taking its good old time unzipping from its human skin. Frankly, it wasn't as terrifying as he remembered, either. The bad thing: he was now responsible for keeping the turned-survivors...well, survivors. The good thing: they lived, and there was another him around to help him keep order in London.

That could be considered bad as well, if he thought about it.

"Keep running!" he shouted as they slowed, wasting too much energy on screaming and looking back. The security in Downing Street looked around in confusion, and the Doctor looked at them all. "You want aliens? You've got them. Half of you, get the experts to safety. The rest...follow me!" He led them straight toward the Cabinet room, surprised to see the Slitheen back in its skin suit so fast.

"Where have you been?" the Slitheen shrieked. "I've called for help, sounded the alarm! That man-" He pointed straight to the Doctor, and oh please. "-tried to electrocute me!"

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Ladies, gentlemen, and non-binary gender humans, you'll find that your Prime Minister is an alien in disguise. That's never going to work, is it?"

The police stared in shock. "No," one finally said, and he grinned. "Fair enough. Let's take care of him, shall we?"

-DW-

"Now Margret," the Eleventh Doctor said, holding out his hand and keeping Rose, Harriet, and Amy behind him. "Let's talk about this civilly, shall we?"

The alien snorted. "Civilly? My dear, I'm sure you'll find that a hostile alien takeover is nothing remotely close to a civil encounter."

"That would be my experience, yes." He shook his head. "Tell me you can at least see reason. This has hardly been approved by your government, I'm sure."

She rolled her eyes before smiling sweetly. "What my planet's government approves of is not my concern any longer. My race, however...that is another story." She took a step closer. "Tell me, sir. What is your name? I must know should I need to resume my role as a frail human."

Amy raised an eyebrow, not showing the fear she otherwise felt. "Humans aren't that frail, you'll find."

"Oh, I beg to differ. My suit was rather easy to obtain."

"Like you?"

The alien giggled delightedly. "Oh, you're feisty. I like you. It'll be a shame when you die."

Rose suddenly spoke, looking more confident as she stared beyond the alien. "Or you."

Margaret blinked. "But I won't. Now, sir. Who are you?"

Eleven suddenly smiled. "I'm the Doctor."

She blinked. "Wha-ah!"

One of the name tags was pressed against her back and activated, surrounding her in a field of electricity and bringing her to the ground.

"And so is mine," the Ninth said, looking up and nodding. "Alright?"

Eleven nodded, and Rose ran toward the other, taking his hand. "Where the hell were you?"

"Taking care of some business. Won't last long, though. so let's hurry up. Doctor, Amy was it?" He let go of Rose's hand long enough to lift the unconscious Slitheen, the eleventh helping him in tossing her out and locking the room down. Harriet watched them, jaw clenched. "The Emergency Protocols are in here. We have to keep them protected from those...those things."

The Doctor nodded. "I like you, Harriet Jones. You're right. We need to keep them out, and the protocols safe."

"And we do that by locking ourselves in a bloody room?" Amy asked, shocked. "That's it? Your brilliant plan?"

"I-" both Doctors protested, staring. "It was good at the time," Eleven finished, and the Doctor nodded. The redhead shook her head.

"You're both idiots," she said, shaking her head. "Rose, Harriet, if you were in a dire situation, would you lock yourself in the Cabinet Room of bloody Downing Street?"

"No," Harriet said, and Rose sighed.

"You both have time machines that act like London hoppers. Why not use that?"

They stared, and Harriet blinked. "Time machine?"

"They're alien," Amy supplied.

"But he's got a Northern accent."

"Lots of planets have a north," Rose said.

"And the other?"

"Just how he speaks," said Amy.

"Then why are we stuck in here?"

"Ask them."

All three women stared at the Doctors, who looked thoroughly outraged, needless to say.

"Do you all have a better idea?" the Doctor asked, scowling.

Amy nodded at her Doctor. "You've been through this before. What did you do when this happened?"

He frowned. "Amy, I can't just mess with events in the time line-"

"Like hell you can't. You started messing with your past the moment you decided to find out why the other Rose began appearing and disappearing beside you."

Eleven swallowed and glanced at Rose, who chewed her bottom lip. The other Rose hadn't been here for a while now. "She's gone. Why are you still here?"

Amy went on. "I wouldn't put it past the other you for knowing something either."

"Me?" the Doctor said in shock, though really, that was a bit nerve wracking. How could she know?

"You haven't done your interrogation thing, I'm sure. The thing where you divert and distract until you get your answers? I would place my money on the first thing you doing being getting those alien experts out of that room down there, if you had a chance. You weren't gone long enough for it either, not in between when the danger broke out and when you arrived. How'd you know the name of them, then? Have you met them before?"

The Doctor stared at her for a long moment, shocked. It...sounded accurate. She must have traveled with him for a while to pick up on his habits. "Perhaps you're just applying your Doctor's habits to me," he deflected, shaking his head. "I am not him, even though I am. Well, I am him, really, but looking at it the way we are now, I am obviously not him. Though that could be debated and we have no time to be arguing at the present moment."

"My head hurts," Harriet said quietly, the whole time lord thing overwhelming her a bit. Rose nodded and rubbed her shoulder.

"She's got a point, Doctor. Your future self knows what's going on. How do we rid ourselves of them?"

Eleven stared at them all for a long moment before sighing. "Vinegar," he said. "If we wanted to kill them, which we don't." He shook his head. "They'll be out for a bit, I assume. We'll get them to the TARDIS, let their planet take care of them. Then we find the rest."

"The rest?"

He bit his lip. "Rose, you may want to call your mum. If we can't get to her or Mickey, tell them about the vinegar. Amy, with me."

The two left to carry Margaret and Green away to Eleven's TARDIS as Rose quickly fished out her phone, calling her mother. "Mum!"

"Rose!" came Jackie's voice, filled with relief and worry. "Are you safe? Tell me you're safe. There are aliens attacking our city!"

"I know, I'm safe. Are you? Where's Mickey."

"He's with me. What do they want with us?"

"Dunno, but the Doctor said you might be in trouble."

"Put me on speaker."

Rose bit her lip and did so. "Doctor, why are they after us?"

The Doctor shook his head. "Harvesting something, that's not important. Right now, focus, got it? Are there any more Slitheen with you?"

"No, we got away to Mickey's flat."

"Get some vinegar."

Mickey's voice rang through. "Vinegar? What for?"

"It'll deal with the Slitheen if they come after you again."

"Like killing?"

"Only if we must." He closed his eyes as they made noises of protest.

"Doctor," Jackie said. "Tell me Rose is safe. If this is your life...tell me she's safe."

Rose met the Doctor's eyes, and flashbacks of Canary Wharf came into his mind; her screams, her bravery, her tears...her shouts for his name. His inability to save her from going to the other universe. The times they both nearly died, again and again and again...yet she never left. Not once did she leave or run away from his life.

"How long are you going to stay with me?"

"Forever."

"Doctor, she's just a kid. She's my daughter. Tell me she'll be safe."

He closed his eyes, not wanting to show the pain he felt, that she would experience, to the innocent Rose he was with now. "This is my life, Jackie. It's not fun, it's not smart, it's just standing up and making a decision because nobody else will. It'll never be safe, not while she's with me. I'll do everything in my power to keep her safe though. That's all I can promise you."

He felt Rose's gaze on him, and the Doctor purposefully kept his eyes away from her as he cleared his throat.

Jackie took a moment to speak. "Well, I suppose that'll have to be good enough for me, won't it?"

In the distance, the sound of the TARDIS echoed, followed by Eleven's voice. "Jackie! My, it's been a while."

"Who the hell are you?"

"Oh, an old friend. Well, a new friend to you I suppose. Just popped in to answer the door."

"The door-?"

Suddenly there was a knock, and Eleven's footsteps were heard. "Amy, get the tag? That's a girl. Just hand it to me, and...hello!"

"Wha-? Ah!"

A thump, then the sound of grunts and the dropping of the Slitheen body.

"Well, I'm off. Until next time Jackie, Mickey."

"Like hell there will be a next time," came Amy's voice, and Eleven laughed as the TARDIS disappeared again.

"...who was that?" Jackie asked.

"Me. Don't mind me. He's gone now."

"There are two of you?!"

"At the present moment, yes."

"...how is this now my life?"

"Beats me."

She sighed. "Get home, Rose. Bring your Doctor with you. I need tea." She hung up, and Rose looked up.

"That was...uneventful."

"To say the least."

Harriet frowned at them both. "So you're just off? They'll want answers, you know. The press is never one for privacy."

"Eh, I don't need the credit anyway. Take it, Harriet Jones. It's yours."

Harriet blinked in surprise as the Doctor unlocked the Cabinet room, taking Rose home and leaving Harriet to handle the situation.

"Harriet Jones," he said as they walked. "Future Prime Minister. She'll lead Britain's golden age, they say."

"She's nice," Rose said, leaning against his shoulder and yawning tiredly. He smiled softly. "Think your other self and Amy will go for tea as well? Mum never makes for just herself unless she knows she'll be alone."

"I suppose we'll find out," he said, looking ahead. "For now, let's get you home."

-DW-

"I haven't had Jackie's tea in a while," Eleven said, watching as Amy and Rose said goodbye. "It was nice."

"I'm sure." The Doctor frowned, acting dumb. "Does she leave?"

"They all do." Eleven looked toward his other self. "I think Amy's right, though. You know what happens."

So much for acting dumb. "In my defense, I'm not quite sure how I ended up in this body."

The other Doctor just shook his head and sighed. "I don't remember this ever happening. What you're doing, though? It'll change our future. It's happening as we speak. You saw the other Rose."

The Doctor sighed. "I suppose it won't make a difference after all. She can't be saved."

Eleven raised an eyebrow. "I wouldn't say that," he said casually, glancing to his TARDIS. The other Rose was back, more solid than before and watching them with a small smile. "Whatever you do change, Doctor, just be careful. She may come back to stay, but every change has a consequence. Who knows what it'll be."

"I know how time works. You saw today." He sighed and nodded at him. "Thank you, Doctor."

Eleven smiled a bit and clapped his hands. "You're welcome, Doctor. Amy! Let's go!" He walked to the companions, giving Rose a hug goodbye. "Keep him in line, Rose Tyler. He needs it."  
Rose smiled softly. "I will. Will we see you again?"

"You might. Who knows? Time has an odd way of working itself out." Eleven kissed her cheek and stepped back, missing her blush. "Let's go, Amy."  
Amy grinned at Rose. "See you around, Rose."

"Goodbye, Amy."

The two left, and Rose and the Doctor stared at where they had been parked.

"I'll miss them," she admitted. The Doctor shrugged.

"They were good. You'll see that version of me, I'm sure. I won't."

She sighed. "Will I? I wasn't even solid with him." The Doctor remained quiet, and she frowned. "I'm not stupid, Doctor. Something happens to me, doesn't it? You know something."

The Doctor sighed. "It's a long story, Rose. I'm not sure you want to know, let alone will be awake for it by the time I'm done."

Rose took his hand and stared at him determinedly. "I want to know. Besides, we have all the time in the world."

He wasn't so sure about that, but he wouldn't change her mind, he knew. He was a time lord, after all, one who severely messed up time as they knew it.

All the time in the world his arse. The Doctor took Rose to the TARDIS and shut the door, turning around and crossing his arms.

"Where do you want to start?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Shit gets real folks! How will Rose react? Next chapter will just be a filler I believe, with Rose's reaction. Like I said before the beginning of the chapter, from here on out expect things to veer from the transcript like this one had, with my own take on it from now on. Some episodes may stay similar, but now that she knows what the Doctor's going to tell her...will it really remain the same? Please comment, leave kudos, bookmark, all that! It inspires me to write! Thank you all for your patience!


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